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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Mac and Cheese!

Ahh, Friday is in sight!  Except tomorrow morning will be an early start because the only time my workgroup could meet between today and tomorrow is tomorrow at 8 AM.  Ugh, I hope my brain is functional by then.  Fortunately, all I have to do is roll out of bed and turn on my computer.  No commuting tomorrow.  I hope we finish within an hour so that I can go to spin class afterwards.

I got meeting leftovers today.  I should have thought of this idea a lot sooner.  Usually, I get a plastic plate to put my food on and then bring it across the street to my office.  However, today, I was smart and brought my own container.  Then I don't have to worry about using a plate and whatever I couldn't eat could go home with me.  Today's lunch of mac and cheese, pulled pork, and salad was eagerly consumed so there was nothing to bring home with me.  The mac and cheese was amazing!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Fall-To Layout #218

Shopping: I recently bought some nail care items at Ulta and in order to be able to use the coupon, I had to find something that was $1 to get me up to the necessary amount of $10.  I picked out some toe separators, but in retrospect, I knew I wasn't going to use them.  I went back yesterday to exchange them for something that I would use: lip balm.  I had been thinking about trying out some EOS lip balm and Robyn recommended the lemon one because it was SPF15.  I really liked it...very refreshing.

Card: I haven't had any recent motivation to do anything crafty lately, but I found some inspiration tonight when I saw Fall-To Layout #218.  I've been using this Studio G birthday stamp like crazy.  It's gone a long way for only being $1.





Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Chestnut Roan, Yellow Ochre
Stamp: Studio G (sentiment),  Stampin' Up- Party Hearty (candles, cupcake)
Paper: American Crafts- Abode
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Other: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss in Lemonade, Ranger Stickles- Gold

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone out there that's celebrating Thanksgiving is having a wonderful holiday with loved ones!  My day started out with sleeping in and then going for a run.  The weather was too nice to pass up.  Plus, I wanted an excuse to eat an extra slice of cheesecake.  This was the first time I ran since June (eek).  I jogged about 2.5 miles and walked the last 0.25, so not too bad considering my hiatus.

When I got home, I took a shower and then went straight to making green bean casserole, stuffed mushrooms, and baking crescent rolls for the dinner tonight at my parents' house.  Here are highlights from the big feast!  The cheesecake was a big hit.  If I could get a handle on how to make a red velvet cheesecake, I wouldn't need to go to The Cheesecake Factory anymore.  Julie brought pecan and apple pies from a local bakery, too. Yum yum yum!
Mmm, turkey!
And other goodies.
My plate...1st round.
Me and Julie.
My pumpkin cheesecake, 1st round.
Family :)
Sisters, again.
Cousin line up by age.
Cousin line up by height.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Pumpkin Cheesecake

The office released us at 2 PM this afternoon so that we could get a head start on our holiday.  Yay!  Really, it just helped me get a head start on all the holiday eating since I went straight to my parents' house, heh.

Julie (my sister) came over tonight to help me with the pumpkin cheesecake (Recipe #14 of 2012) that I wanted to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner.  She worked on the crust, while I worked on the cheesecake part.  I didn't beat the cream cheese as smoothly as I should have, so in the final product, there were little cream cheese bits in the cheesecake.  Also, the recipe says that it should be in the oven for an hour, but it took close to 1.5 hours to get it not so jiggly.  We'll see what how it tastes tomorrow :)

While waiting for the cheesecake to bake, we watched an NCIS marathon on tv and played Just Dance 2.  RJ thought that the best seat in the house is right on top of me.  He loves that blanket, and it doesn't matter if someone is already using it.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

New Candy

I went to Target today to get some groceries for Thanksgiving, and of course, I went down the candy aisle and found these white chocolate peppermint M&Ms on sale.  M&Ms and "on sale"= best combo ever.  They are quite tasty and I think I like them even more than the mint chocolate chip ones.  I'll have to make sure I stock up so that they last throughout the year...or at least through Valentine's Day.  Yeah, right.

The rest of the day was spent making black bean quesadillas (I was surprised how much one batch made...I loosely followed the Budget Bytes recipe), napping on the couch, watching TV, vacuuming my house and giving the bathroom a good scrub down.  What a nice ending to a productive weekend. :)

Saturday, November 17, 2012

2012 Craft Show #2

To me, craft show success is defined as a) making my table fee and b) making extra money.  Today's craft show was successful, yay!  I didn't take a picture of my set up because it's pretty much the same look every craft show.  I sat next to this lady that was selling suncatchers.  She got a really good position in the room because it was next to a window and the sunbeams were going through the crystals and projecting lots of rainbows on the wall.  It was definitely an eye-catching sight when you walked into the room, so I'm sure she made a lot of money today...

After the craft fair, I went to a couple of places in that neighborhood- Ross, Blockbuster, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, and Michaels.  I got some Moose Munch from Ross, even though I was eying their selection of EK Success punches.  I had to pry myself away from the display and tell myself that I didn't NEED more punches.  Then at Hobby Lobby, I got 2 sets of embossing folders (a total of 4 folders) and a package of Stickles because my Studio G glitter glue dried up and I threw them away.  I liked the Christmas stamps that were on display at Michaels, but I didn't NEED those either.  I might reconsider when they go on clearance after the New Year.

I am EXHAUSTED!!!

At least it was a good day.

Now to try to keep my eyes open so I can watch Jeremy Renner on Saturday Night Live...

Friday, November 16, 2012

Funny Stuff and an Unexpected Event

Confession: I caved and started listening to Christmas music on the radio.  I just can't resist Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You."

Funny story from yesterday: My co-worker Ben and I went to Starbucks yesterday to cash in on their Buy 1, Get 1 Free deal.  He got the gingerbread latte and I got the peppermint mocha.  My drink got called, but I wondered why his took so long since we ordered at the same time.  About 10 minutes later, another "Tina, peppermint mocha" and "Ben, gingerbread decaf latte" got called.  I was so confused.  I already got my drink.  Another woman picks up the peppermint mocha.  Oh, crap.  I took another Tina's drink!  What are the chances that another Asian Tina orders the same size peppermint mocha.  I made eye contact with her with an apologetic look.  Ben and I laughed about it all the way back to the office.

An Unexpected Event: I had fallen asleep on the couch (RJ got stuck on his back between my thigh and the back of the couch...see photo) and when I woke up, I checked my phone for email and I noticed that I got something in regards to a craft fair.  OMG, someone cancelled and since I was first on the waiting list, I get the vacated spot!  Hooray!  Time to sell some cards tomorrow!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Right Now...

I borrowed this idea from Paige Evans's recent blog post.

Age: 29
 
Height and Weight: 5'3" and 150ish lbs (yeah, whatever...it is what it is.).

Married: Nope.

Children: Does RJ count? =^..^=

Favorite color: I'd say red...like a Christmas red.   

Drinking: Tea.

Working on: Homemade Christmas and birthday cards.

Talking to: No one, at the moment.  Occasionally RJ when he gets into mischief.

Favorite book: Recently, it's The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.

Wanting: I'm stealing Paige's answer..."To go to the American Crafts Warehouse Sale."  But that's in Utah, unfortunately.  Maybe next year.  I'd have to bring an extra suitcase for all the goodies that I'd buy.

Eating: Nothing at the moment.  I would love some chocolate if anyone wants to make a donation.

Thinking about: The pumpkin cheesecake that I'm going to bake next week for Thankgiving dinner.

Excited about: Thanksgiving next week with family!

Favorite Movie: Can't go wrong with Raiders of the Lost Ark...or Lilo and Stitch.

Worried about: Program reviews at work in a few weeks.

Had enough of: Emotionally unavailable men and dating.

Might try: The gingerbread latte at Starbucks.

Waiting for: The Just Dance 2 Wii game that I bought on Amazon to come in the mail.

Last movie you saw: End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Wearing: T-shirt and capri work-out tights

Lovin: The ability to work from home on Fridays.

Tattoos YES or NO?: No.  Probably couldn't handle the pain.

Happy to be: Toasty warm in my tidy and clean home.

Favorite song right now: Oath- Cher Lloyd.

Canon or Nikon girl: No preference, really.  Only because I don't have an SLR camera.  The one that I normally use is a Nikon digital camera that I got almost 10 years ago.  It still works, so I haven't found the need to buy a new one.

Ready for: The weekend!

Toes painted or natural: Painted!  Except for the time being because I want to give my nails a rest from the recent Shellac manicure.

Glad I have: My friends and family (awww....)

Not ready for: Turning 30.

Healthy YES or NO: I work out so that I can eat yummy food, so I think I'm somewhere in between YES and NO.

Still cool as you were 10 years ago?: Pish, I'm way cooler now. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Manicure Update and Card

Manicure update: I went ahead and removed the Shellac manicure that I got about 1.5 weeks ago.  The polish did not come off easily, even with soaking, but maybe that's because the nail polish that I used wasn't explicitly 100% acetone (it did have acetone in it though).  I was horrified by my semi-peeling and rough surface nails (I guess I scraped too hard...), but thankfully with some advice from the office receptionist and the lady at Ulta, I got some Sally Hansen nail strengthener (it comes in a lavender colored bottle) and a file/buffer block and my nails look back to normal.  Crisis averted.  The manicure was fun while it lasted, but in an effort to be safe and budget-friendly, I'm going to stick to doing my own nails for the foreseeable future.  These bare nails are here to stay for a few days...then it's back to fun colors and most likely some Konad stamping!

Newsflash: Channing Tatum is People's 2012 Sexiest Man Alive.  Yep, I wouldn't argue with that after seeing all his movies this year...The Vow, 21 Jump Street, and Magic Mike.

At the office: I got a present today!  My co-worker went to the APHA conference and got me the cat calendar that I submitted pictures of RJ for but unfortunately, he didn't make the cut.  I thought it was thoughtful of her to think of me while she was out there.

Card: I wanted to use one of the new punches that I bought on Monday.  The candle one inspired me to make a birthday card, but given the sentiment that I used, I suppose it could be a congratulatory card as well.

Card Specs:
Ink: Stampin' Up in Island Indigo
Stamp: Stampin' Up- Party Hearty
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, Fiskars Scalloped Sentiment border punch, EK Success Candles border punch
Other: We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss in Slate, Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Song of the day: "Oath"- Cher Lloyd

Monday, November 12, 2012

Thank you, Veterans

Day off: We got the day off today for Veterans Day, so I spent the say mostly lounging around. I tried a new crock pot dish: beef stroganoff (Recipe #13). I didn't follow any recipe in particular, but rather got the gist of what needed to go into the crock pot based on what I found online. It turned out pretty good. 

Dog walking: My friend Beth asked me to walk her dog Lilly this afternoon.  I couldn't tell if the dog was excited to see me or excited to be able to get out of her crate or excited about going for a walk.  It was probably a combination of all those things.

Book #6 of 2012: I finished James Patterson's Private Games a few nights ago.  It was a good book, and I would recommend it.

It's back to the grind tomorrow...at least it's a short work week!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Manicure Update and Holiday Card

Manicure Update: This Shellac manicure that I got last weekend is definitely holding up.  There are only 2 noticeable chips (left thumb, right index finger).  I have noticed that my nails have grown because there's space between the cuticle and the nail polish.  I am not a skeptic anymore.



Shopping: I stopped by one yard sale today after going to spin class this morning, but didn't get anything.  I was so turned off by the condition of the items that were there because everything looked kinda dirty and dusty.  Just because it's used doesn't mean that it should look that way.  Before the yard sale, I went to Ross and found 2 punches in the kitchen section for $4 each. The one on top is called Acanthus Leaf and the one on the bottom is called Candles.



Card: Here's the card that I made last night with a "newish" stamp set from the yard sale a few weeks ago.  My goal was to make it a) not Christmas focused and b) flat so that it can go through the mail easily.

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal, Chestnut Roan, Prussian Blue. Stampin' Up in Riding Hood Red, Pool Party
Stamp: Stampin' Up- Season of Friendship, Studio G (everything else)
Punch: Fiskars Scalloped Sentiment border punch

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Good Yard Sale Day

Today was definitely a good yard sale day.  RJ knocked over my table lamp in the living room on Tuesday, so my assignment for myself was to find a replacement because otherwise my living room is a little dark.  I scored on the first moving sale that I went to.  I asked the lady how much the lamp was.  She said $10.  Meh, ok.  I walked around to see if there were other interesting things they were offering.  I found an opened variety pack of picture hangers (this will come in handy for the artwork that I purchased last month) and 2 rolls of white-out tape.  I asked the lady if she'd let me take all those items for $10 and she said yes.  Mission accomplished.

My next stop was to a yard sale where I got a lot of Christmas gifts for my friends.  The husband does a lot of jewelry sales and I guess he wanted to sell some of his inventory.  There was a sign that said 50% off the wholesale price, whoo hoo!  I got 6 necklaces and 3 pairs of fun socks for $20 total.  I was mentally dancing down the street back to my car.  One of the necklaces (the white one in the picture) broke in the car, but upon further inspection, I noticed that it was only 1 strand.  I can still wear the other two, no biggie.

My final stop was to an estate sale.  I picked out a pretty multi-colored pearl necklace (it's in the picture to the left) and 2 ornaments.  I planned to give my friend Meg the Woodstock (as in the Peanuts comic strip) ornament, but when the lady gave me my stuff after I paid, Woodstock feel and broke.  Everyone behind me in line gasped and "awww"ed sympathetically.  Sigh.  Oh well, it was still a pretty good day. :)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Office Bake-Off and Peace Card

At the office: The office chili cook-off and bake-off didn't go as well as I thought it would.  I'm not really sure what happened, but very few people brought stuff in.  Maybe if we had it on Monday, people could make stuff on Sunday, but since this was mid-week and the Election was yesterday, that messed people off.  Oh well.  One person made chili, which was very yummy.  Two other co-workers and I brought in pumpkin related baked goods...one brought in muffins and another person brought in a pumpkin roll (this person won in the baked goods category).  I was happy to bring an empty plate home and some compliments.  I also got Chinese food leftovers, so that took care of dinner tonight.  Word on the street is that there's going to be an in-person meeting TH and FRI, which of course, means potentially more free food. :D

Card: I wanted to use another "new" Stampin' Up stamp that I got from the yard sale a few weeks ago.  I love how elegant the doves look with the swirls.  I'm so glad that I got this stamp because it can be used for so many things, I think.  Christmas, With Sympathy, Wedding, Happy Anniversary, etc. 

Card Specs:
Embossing powder: Stampendous! in white
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Prussian Blue. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Fired Brick
Stamp: Studio G (snowflakes), Stampin' Up- French Flair
Stickers: October Afternoon Mini Market Stickers in Teal and Black
Other: Liquid Pearl in White Opal

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Day

Hooray, Election Day!  I participated in early voting on Friday, so it was business as usual for me.  We have an office fall festival tomorrow, where there will be two components: a chili cook-off and a bake-off.  I'm not huge on chili, but I am BIG on baking.  My contribution to the cause is pumpkin chocolate chip pound cake, which I made while waiting for the election results to come in.  This is the first time I made this recipe in my place and not at my parents' place.  The oven was a little finiky, where one loaf seemed to finish before the other.  What gives?!  Oh well, easily fixed.  I saved one loaf for myself and will probably save some to share with my family later on today.

While I was making a mess in the kitchen, there was a crash and what sounded like a stampede upstairs.  I looked into the living room and noticed that the lamp was knocked over and RJ made a swift exit upstairs.  Stealthy, he is not.  I went over to see if I could fix it...and I couldn't.  My yard sale assigment this weekend is to find a new lamp for the living room. :(

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Fall-To Layout #215

Not too much went on today except for some napping and getting out of the house for some groceries.  I think my energy was zapped from all the fun I had yesterday with my friends.  I was very thankful for my extra hour, that's for sure.

Here's my card for Fall-To Layout #215.  I wanted to use a sticker sheet that Meg gave me for my birthday a while back.  Mmm, cupcake. 

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Chestnut Roan
Stamp: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment)
Embossing Folder: Tim Holtz- Rays
Stickers: EK Success- Cupcakes
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen
Other: Liquid Pearl in Buttercup

Ok, time to watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta season premiere...







Saturday, November 3, 2012

Million Muppet March and Robyn's Birthday Celebration

Million Muppet March: This morning, Robyn and I participated in the Million Muppet March, in support of public broadcasting.  I wasn't sure how this event would be received, but there were far more people attending this march than I expected!  People were dressed up as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, etc.  Others brought their own puppets; my favorite ones were the Secret Service/FBI ones in the picture below.  I definitely got my exercise in for the day with all the walking we did!

Robyn's birthday celebration: After the March, we grabbed McDonald's and hung out at Robyn's place to wait for Meg and Jules to show up and then we headed to the Glynn Jones Salon for manicures.  If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you'll know that I do my nails very often myself, averaging about once a week because I a) I like the variety and b) I would rather spend money on something else.  Meg told me that her mom asked her, "How often does Tina get her nails done?"  She must have seen my frequent picture posts of my Konad stamping adventures, ha ha.  Anyway,  this was for Robyn's birthday so I figured I could splurge.  The 4 of us got something called a Shellac manicure and I'm supposed to get 2-3 weeks out of this.  I was amazed how durable this manicure has been so far.  No chips or smudges at all.  I'll have to continue to take pictures of it every couple of days to document its wear (hello, skeptic here).  Meg and Robyn both got French Shellac manicures and Jules got a nude color.  I went for color (shocker, I know)...this shade is called Hotski for Tchotchke.   At the end of the manicure, the lady asked me if I had a cat.  I was waiting for her to say something about and refer to the scratches on my forearms that RJ left.  :P

After the nails, we walked a few blocks to The Wharf for dinner.  Robyn conveniently had a $20 off $80 coupon.  The food was amazing!  There were so many things that I wanted to eat!  Meg got the scallops and I got the crab cake and we split the plates between us.  Jules and Robyn did the same thing except with scallops and salmon.  The restaurant gave us a slice of cheesecake and candle for Robyn to make a wish and blow out. Yay!

Friday, November 2, 2012

I Voted!

Hooray, I voted early! I can check that off to to-do list. I would have gone earlier today, but I was waiting for an email to come through and it didn't come in until late afternoon...like when people were leaving work. I guess other people had the same idea of voting after work. I didn't mind the wait though since the line was moving along. I was probably in line for 45 minutes, and now I don't have to wait until Tuesday to cast my votes and worry that I'm going to go over the 2 hours that work gives us to vote.

One thing that I thought was so annoying about this election season was all the ads. On TV. On the radio. In my mailbox. Even in the freakin' line to go into the voting center! Yes, I'm okay with same-sex couples getting married. No, I don't want there to be more casinos. None of your last minute rambling is going to change my mind. I can't wait for things to be back to normal next WED.